July 24, 2014

Sierra Leone: Three suspected Ebola deaths in Zimmi Makpele

Huge standstill and panic is currently engulfing the Zimmi headquarters of Makpele Chiefdom in Pujehun District as three residents have died from symptoms of Ebola; all within a fortnight.

Two more of the residents are now critically ill with Ebola like symptoms. All five affected persons were living in same household.

In a telephone interview with Awareness Times last night of July 23rd 2014, Paramount Chief Saffa Monya Tamu of Makpele Chiefdom said his people were currently in such an unprecedented and panicky situation that he had to cut short a visit to neighbouring Bo district and rush back to Zimmi.

"All those who have died came from one single household in this my Chiefdom Headquarters town of Zimmi. They all had fever and some died, bleeding," P.C. Tamu explained.

He disclosed that few weeks ago an aged man, Senesie Konneh who hailed from Blama town in the Small Bo Chiefdom of Kenema district, died in that house where he had gone to visit his relatives. He said the man had vomited profusely before he died.

"Less than two weeks after, to be precise, 13 days after Senesie Konneh died, an 11 years old girl named Mamie died in that same house of very high fever," the P.C. explained.

Continuing, the Paramount Chief explained that another member of the household, a pregnant woman, Amie Bailay age 26, left the particular house, feeling sick and bleeding, so as to seek traditional help in a village called Domagbe, located some miles away from Zimmi. Shortly after her arrival, she died.

Currently, one Jaynie Kpaka is critically ill and another one is said to be already feeling symptoms of Ebola; both of the same affected house.

The P.C said continuous death toll is worrisome adding the rest of residents have abandoned that dwelling place with their current location not known.

He said since the 11 years old Mamie died on Tuesday 22nd July 2014 nobody touched her corpse until Wednesday when a health worker arrived, fully dressed in Ebola prevention clothes to collect and bury the corpse which was already badly decomposed.

He said the 26 years old Amie Barley's corpse has also been left untouched in the village waiting for the Ebola Health Team to go there this morning of July 24th 2014 to professionally collect it and dispose of it.

The Paramount Chief informed that unto this moment, they have not received any medical confirmation about the cause of death but that the widespread fear is that it is Ebola that has arrived in the chiefdom.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed but credible reports from sources say many of the residents who had used to live in the house had fled across the border into Liberia. Others had gone into a sacred male society bush where a traditional healer is alleged to be undertaking incantations to "heal" them of Ebola.

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Huge standstill and panic is currently engulfing the Zimmi headquarters of Makpele Chiefdom in Pujehun District as three residents have died from symptoms of Ebola; all within a fortnight.

Two more of the residents are now critically ill with Ebola like symptoms. All five affected persons were living in same household.

In a telephone interview with Awareness Times last night of July 23rd 2014, Paramount Chief Saffa Monya Tamu of Makpele Chiefdom said his people were currently in such an unprecedented and panicky situation that he had to cut short a visit to neighbouring Bo district and rush back to Zimmi.

"All those who have died came from one single household in this my Chiefdom Headquarters town of Zimmi. They all had fever and some died, bleeding," P.C. Tamu explained.

He disclosed that few weeks ago an aged man, Senesie Konneh who hailed from Blama town in the Small Bo Chiefdom of Kenema district, died in that house where he had gone to visit his relatives. He said the man had vomited profusely before he died.

"Less than two weeks after, to be precise, 13 days after Senesie Konneh died, an 11 years old girl named Mamie died in that same house of very high fever," the P.C. explained.

Continuing, the Paramount Chief explained that another member of the household, a pregnant woman, Amie Bailay age 26, left the particular house, feeling sick and bleeding, so as to seek traditional help in a village called Domagbe, located some miles away from Zimmi. Shortly after her arrival, she died.

Currently, one Jaynie Kpaka is critically ill and another one is said to be already feeling symptoms of Ebola; both of the same affected house.

The P.C said continuous death toll is worrisome adding the rest of residents have abandoned that dwelling place with their current location not known.

He said since the 11 years old Mamie died on Tuesday 22nd July 2014 nobody touched her corpse until Wednesday when a health worker arrived, fully dressed in Ebola prevention clothes to collect and bury the corpse which was already badly decomposed.

He said the 26 years old Amie Barley's corpse has also been left untouched in the village waiting for the Ebola Health Team to go there this morning of July 24th 2014 to professionally collect it and dispose of it.

The Paramount Chief informed that unto this moment, they have not received any medical confirmation about the cause of death but that the widespread fear is that it is Ebola that has arrived in the chiefdom.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed but credible reports from sources say many of the residents who had used to live in the house had fled across the border into Liberia. Others had gone into a sacred male society bush where a traditional healer is alleged to be undertaking incantations to "heal" them of Ebola.